Such as I Have

Subject: Do We Have What They Had

by Rick Welborne

Acts 3:1-11 (NKJV)
¹  Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
²  And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
³  who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
⁴  And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
⁵  So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
⁶  Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
⁷  And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
⁸  So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.
⁹  And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
¹⁰  Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
¹¹  Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. 

--Today we will be staring a new series…From verse 6…What I do have or KJV…Such as I have.

--Before we jump into this I want us to take a brief look back to what led up to this miracle…this event.

--In Luke 24 Jesus gives the disciples some very important instructions that definitely had an influence on what happened at the Gate Beautiful.

Luke 24:49-53 (NKJV)
⁴⁹  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
⁵⁰  And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
⁵¹  Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
⁵²  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
⁵³  and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen. 

--Jesus is getting ready to ascend to the Father and He knows they need help (actually a Helper). He has even told them that it is for your good that He is going away.

--If I do not go away Holy Spirit will not come but when I leave I will send Him to you.

Acts 1:6-8 (NKJV)
⁶  Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
⁷  And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
⁸  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

--He tells them they will receive Holy Spirit power and He will be exactly what you need for such an occasion as they were facing with this lame beggar…did not mean he was bad at begging. You’ll be witnesses.

--At the beginning of Acts 2 (approximately 10 days later) Holy Spirit shows up and shows off…A rushing mighty wind, tongues like fire sit on all 120 of them.

--All of them are filled with Holy Spirit and speak in tongues…it caused such a commotion in Jerusalem because people were there from everywhere. Miracles started happening.

--These unlearned Jews begin to glorify God in the languages of the people who were listening and they were amazed…some mocked them because they thought they were drunk at 9:00am.

--Peter stands up to preach under the power of Holy Spirit and he shares with them a prophesy from Joel!

Acts 2:16-18 (KJV)
¹⁶  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
¹⁷  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
¹⁸  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:  

--Before Peter shares the prophesy (knowing the crowd he is speaking to knows prophecy) he says something very powerful…This is that…this is that which Joel spoke about…This is that Jesus spoke about.

--This is that which was promised by the Father to them on the Day of Pentecost but also promised to us today:

Acts 2:37-39 (NKJV)
³⁷  Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
³⁸  Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
³⁹  For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

--Hear me…this is that and this is available for all of us here today who belong to Jesus Christ. The 120 receive Holy Spirit baptism and the immediate result was salvation. 3000 added to the church! Wow!

--Indeed wow! Joel’s prophecy and Jesus’ promise is fulfilled with Holy Spirit being poured out but hear me, this was not an ending…it was a beginning. The same is true for us…Holy Spirit baptism is a new beginning.

--Lest you think I have forgotten our text, let’s go back to Acts 3.

Acts 3:6 (NKJV)
⁶  Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."

1. It is impossible to separate the “such as I have” or “what I do have” from the prophecy of Joel and the promises of Jesus.

--There is not one of you here today who could convince me that the “such as I have” that Peter was talking about was none other than Holy Spirit.

--You would have to take these verses out of context to try and say that this supernatural healing was anything other than a result of them being filled with Holy Spirit power.

--Holy Spirit was just doing what He does when He comes…one of the gifts of Holy Spirit is healing:

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NKJV)
⁷  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
⁸  for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
⁹  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
¹⁰  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
¹¹  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

--Holy Spirit has been poured out, Peter and John are baptized in Holy Spirit, God distributes the gift of healing as this gift of Holy Spirit is needed.

--The last verse of this Acts 3 confirms that when Holy Spirit comes upon us He will make us witnesses… many of them turn to Christ.

Acts 3:26 (NKJV)
²⁶  To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."

--Part of this being a witness was a continuation of the work of Holy Spirit…a few weeks earlier Peter was too afraid to share Jesus with anyone but now everything has changed.

Acts 2:16-17 (KJV)
¹⁶  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
¹⁷  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:

--Before Peter could not have said “such as I have” why? Because He did not have the baptism in the Holy Spirit in his life…now he is so full, he is overflowing. Spirit filled and Spirit spilled.

2. Peter said with boldness, “such as I have”.

--A question that has bothered me for years is this when it comes to “such as I have”. Do I have what Peter and John had? 

--Have we moved so far from the original that we seem to have a powerless gospel. Could what Paul is saying here truly be what we have become?

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
²  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
³  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
⁴  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
⁵  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 

--Do we have a form of godliness or maybe we just have a reputation of being Spirit filled but the reality is that we are just kidding ourselves.

--If we are Spirit filled…truly Spirit filled…why do we struggle so much with issues that seem to overwhelm us. Why do we struggle in dealing with one another and dealing with sin?

--If we are filled with Holy Spirit why aren’t we walking in the Spirit and not fulfilling the lust of the flesh…

Many of us seem powerless over sin…where are the signs that follow them who believe?

Galatians 5:16-25 (NLT)
¹⁶  So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
¹⁷  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
¹⁸  But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
¹⁹  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
²⁰  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
²¹  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
²²  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
²⁴  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
²⁵  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 

--If I am doing what I want to do and not what the Spirit of God wants me to do then can I truly say, “such as I have, I give to you”

3. If we had what they had we could do what they did.

--Let me reiterate, the disciples had waited on the Promise of the Father, the prophecy of Joel to be fulfilled, and they all experienced the baptism in Holy Spirit.

--Again this experience is not a once and your done thing…it is only the beginning…when Peter and John were walking into the temple that day…they were able to do what they saw Jesus do.

John 14:12-14 (NKJV)
¹²  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
¹³  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
¹⁴  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

---Keep this in context…Jesus is telling His Disciples He is going away but not to worry, He is sending Holy Spirit to be with them forever and then they will be able to do what He did.

--If we have what they had why can’t we do what they did? Hear me! I know this message can seem to have a sound of condemnation to it but that is definitely not my purpose.

--This is a passionate cry for us to want more of Holy Spirit in our lives…a cry for us to realize we are just scratching the surface of what God has for us.

--Do I truly believe we have Who they had…do I believe we have Holy Spirit in our lives? Yes, a thousand times yes but the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy…He is robbing us of the more we could have.

--Peter and John had been baptized in Holy Spirit but what were they doing…they were going to the temple to pray and to receive more…on their way Jesus worked a beautiful miracle.

Annual Business Meeting: Unity in the Spirit

Subject: The Power Available to Those Who are One

Rick Welborne

1 Corinthians 1:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
¹⁰  Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

1. We should all be speaking the same thing!

--Why would Jesus want us to speak the same thing? He knows the power available to us when we do. Listen to, from a negative perspective, what unity can do:

Genesis 11:6 (NIV)
⁶  The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

--What would happen if we all talked about growing to one thousand plus, if we all talked about being filled with Holy Spirit power, if we all talked about supporting our missionaries.

--Then nothing we would plan to do would be impossible for us. Souls saved, believers filled, and missionaries supported all over the world.

2. We should not have any divisions among us.

--The last words someone speaks before they leave are so important…What were the last things Jesus was saying before He was crucified?

John 17:20-23 (NIV)
²⁰  "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
²¹  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
²²  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
²³  I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

--Our being one is the key to us growing to one thousand… Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

--Leading up to this chapter are several verses promising Holy Spirit’s coming…We see the perfect unity between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…we too can experience that perfect unity thru Holy Spirit.

--We have many people coming from many different backgrounds to Life Church…we could start nick picking our differences or choose to magnify what we have in common…Jesus, the cross, His blood, His return.

--What made the Day of Pentecost so powerful was the unity of the 120…Jesus originally told over 500 believers (1 Cor.15) His plan…120 were in one mind and one accord…in unity.

Acts 2:1 (NKJV)
¹  When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 

--Unity in purpose…unity in mission…unity in love…this is an environment where the Presence of God thrives.

3. We should be perfectly joined together in one mind and one judgment.

--In the series I did on Covenant Membership I talked about the concept of Kolloah…Greek word used in Jesus making us one.

Matthew 19:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
⁵  and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
⁶  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

--The same word used here in reference to marriage (Kolloah) is the same word used in us being one as the church.

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

Ephesians 4:11-16 (NKJV)
¹¹  And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
¹²  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
¹³  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
¹⁴  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
¹⁵  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--
¹⁶  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

--Come on, Life Church, let’s be perfectly joined together in Christ to grow the body, to send out missionaries, to be filled with Holy Spirit power, and to be faithful to one another in these last days!

Get Rid of the Box

Subject: Lose the Box When It Comes to Healing

by Rick Welborne

Mark 8:22-26 (NLT)
²²  When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him.
²³  Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”
²⁴  The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”
²⁵  Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.
²⁶  Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.” 

Matthew 9:20-22 (KJV)
²⁰  And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
²¹  For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
²²  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

John 5:2-9 (NKJV)
²  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.
³  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
⁴  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
⁵  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.
⁶  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"
⁷  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."
⁸  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."
⁹  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

--Healing is one of the most interesting studies that you can find in the NT…it has brought comfort to many, questions to others, and even, confusion to many believers.

--Just when we think we have the formula for healing, we see another portion of Scripture that goes a total different direction.

--Recently talking about healing with a group of folks someone made the comment that you always have to speak to the infirmity and command it to go…I said that happened but not always.

--Even in our text Jesus did not speak to the infirmity, He just asked “Do you want to be made well?” and at the Gate Beautiful in Acts 3…Silver and gold I do not have but such as I have…I give.

--Sometimes it seems the faith comes from the person seeking the healing (woman with the issue) and others times it seems as though the faith came from Jesus or others who prayed. Acts 3 Such as I have…

--The point of all this is to say that there is no magic formula that we can use and know that it will work every time we pray. Even the great healing evangelist of the early 1900s saw some healed but not all.

--I even struggle in my own mind preparing this message to figure out the plan…I thought number one has to be that they come to Jesus…but then, Jesus came to the man at the pool.

--We do not even know if the man who was blind in Mark 8 wanted to come to Jesus but people brought him and begged Jesus to heal Him.

--If that messes with your theology a bit, think about this, the man was not totally healed the first time Jesus spit in his eyes and laid hands on him, did I mention this was Jesus who by His stripes we are healed…Mind blown!

--If faith is the issue…is there anyone who would not have more faith than Jesus…He is faith personified but He prayed twice…did He have to or did He do it for us? Right before the story of the persistent widow:

Luke 18:1 (NIV)
¹  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 

--Today let’s dive into these portions of scripture and see what we can find…We will look at a man without vision, a woman with an issue, and another man with an excuse.

1. A man without vision.

--He was blind and his friends knew it…they cared enough to get him some help…they brought him to Jesus.

Helen Keller: She was asked the question: “What would be worse than being blind?” She answered, “Having eyesight but no vision.”

--The friends or family of this man had the vision to believe that if they could get their blind friend to Jesus they would witness a miracle. 

--Godly vision or faith is the power to see beyond our limitations…our friend is blind; we can’t heal him because we are limited…beyond our limited ability is Jesus.

--So vision is the ability to see, the faith to believe, the courage to do, and the hope to endure.

--My mind raced quickly to the four men who had a paralytic friend…someone had to see what would happen if they could get him to Jesus, their faith kicked in, they had the courage to go thru the roof, and they endured.

If you can’t see it, you do not have vision,

Some people see it, but don’t believe it. They do not have vision. 

Some people see it, believe it, but don’t do it. They do not have vision.

Some people see it, believe it, start to do it but quit. They do not have vision.

Vision is the ability to see, the faith to believe, the courage to do, and the hope to endure.

--The blind man is all in now…He has agreed to go to Jesus and now Jesus is leading…this has to be key.

--When you come to Jesus you have to turn loose of control, get rid of your box, and hold on to Jesus’ hand no matter where he leads. Whether you come to Jesus or Jesus comes to you…He is the key to your healing.

--Jesus spit in His eyes and laid hands on him…the healing started…he could see people but only see them as trees walking…He prayed again…this is such encouragement for us to not give up!

--Some people say just ask once and after that just thank the Lord for your healing…if He instructs you to do that, do it, but if you do not get your healing, keep asking. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
⁷  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
⁸  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 

2. A woman with an issue.

--Obviously this woman had an issue, an issue with her blood. She was diligent to seek help from her condition from doctors and had spent all she had and was no better.

--We could definitely have fun with saying this woman had an issue and I know most of you men are thinking all women have issues and you are right…their issues are usually men!

--This woman had something other than an issue with her blood and it is something that I feel is necessary for us to receive from God our healing or whatever it is we need. She had passion.

Matthew 9:21 (NIV)
²¹  She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." 

Carl Barth – Passion is fear that said its prayers. 

--Was she afraid…I am sure of it…In the eyes of the law she was unclean and by that same law everyone she touched was made unclean…she was taking a big chance by coming forward.

--Did she have a battle…absolutely…she has been sick for twelve years…she is weak and she is hurting but she tells herself I have to get through this crowd…many believe hundreds if not thousands were around Jesus.

--Don’t we have to fight the same battle sometimes to get our healing…what will people think if I go forward (maybe think I am in sin – unclean) or maybe the crowd will keep us from touching Jesus…really…good luck!

--You see, vision (the ability to see beyond our limitation) will produce passion…passion is being empowered by what we see or hear.

--This woman heard Jesus was coming and that gave her great hope but she did not stop there…she saw Jesus passing by…when she saw Jesus passion rose up inside her…If I can touch the hem of His garment…

Webster’s Dictionary – Passion is the intense, compelling emotion evidenced in decisive courageous action.

--Her passion, her faith compelled her to stop being stuck with the status quo but to rise up with courageous action…fight thru the weakness, fight the crowd, and get close enough to touch Jesus.

Sir Walter Moberly – You, Christians, if one tenth of what you believe is true you ought to be ten times more excited than you are. But evidently it is not true. I take one look at your face and I rest my case.

Oliver Wendell Holmes – I may have entered the ministry if certain clergy I knew had not looked like and acted like undertakers.

--What an indictment of no passion but not this woman…she said I don’t care how I feel, I don’t care what the crowd thinks, I am going to touch Jesus no matter what.

--Her issue confronted by faith and passion turned out to be a miracle.

Luke 8:45-48 (NKJV)
⁴⁵  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' "
⁴⁶  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."
⁴⁷  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
⁴⁸  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."

3. A man with an excuse.

John 5:7 (NKJV)
⁷  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

--Many of the translations that I read omitted from verses 3-4 the reference to the angel and the stirring of the water…the main thing is that there was a great number of sick people gathered there every day hoping!

--The truth is misery loves company…I have this disease…oh, that is nothing, I have this disease…I had two surgeries last year…well, I had three. Oh, how they love to rehearse over and over their plight.

--The truth is…you want to get out of debt hang with people who manage their finances well, you want a better marriage hang with people who love and honor each other…What are you saying, Pastor Rick.

--If you want to be made whole and well, hang out with Jesus, hang out with Holy Spirit, hang out with people of faith and people of the Word…faith comes by hearing…hearing the Word.

--Don’t look or point but are their people that you get around after maybe having a good day…you spend just a few minutes with them and every bit of life is drained out of you…gloom, despair, and agony on me!

--If you are going to receive your healing…seek out people who will help you seek out the face of Jesus and when you find His face hear Him say… "Do you want to be made well?"

--No argument, no excuses…Do you want to be made well? Do you really want to be made well? Do you?

John 5:8-9 (NKJV)
⁸  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."
⁹  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked…

Praying in the Holy Spirit or Praying in Tongues

Subject - What Happens When God Send His Spirit

Ezekiel 37:1- 14 NKJV

1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 

2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 

3 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." 

4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 

5 'Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 

6 "I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. ' ' " 

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 

8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. 

9 Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' " 

10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. 

11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' 

12 "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 

13 "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 

14 "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD. 

1. When God sends His Holy Spirit dry bones have hope. 

--The dry bones (us) could be in a low place (Valley). Ever been there? We all have.

--They may be very dry or empty…spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

--There can be a lot of company…the valley was filled with bones.

--So where is the hope? God has noticed and Holy Spirit has noticed. When God notices and asks the question…Can the bones live? Hope is on the way.

--“Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 

Psalm 130:1-8 (NKJV)
¹  Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;
²  Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.
³  If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
⁴  But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
⁵  I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His Word I do hope.
⁶  My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning-- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
⁷  O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.
⁸  And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities. 

--Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!

2. When God sends His Holy Spirit He will put things or people back together.

Ezekiel 37:4-8 (NKJV)
⁴  Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
⁵  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
⁶  I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "
⁷  So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
⁸  Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. 

--Dry bones first step is to hear the Word of the Lord.

--So important that God knows how to deal with flesh…He can put back together marriages, homes, churches, and even broken bodies.

--Dry bones, please know that the Breath of God (Holy Spirit) is coming! In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh!

3. When God sends His Holy Spirit He will provide a covering for you. 

Psalms 91:14 (NKJV)

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." 

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 

4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge;

--God promises that He will cover the dry bones with skin…we all need a covering. We all need someone Who will not expose all our stuff.

--He will cover us like a mom tucking in her baby, He will cover us like an eagle protecting its young, He will cover us as God puts us all back together.

--Every person, every pastor, every spouse, every church member, every church needs a covering, why not let the Lord cover us and come upon us by Holy Spirit.

4. When God sends His Holy Spirit He will breathe into us the breath of life. 

Ezekiel 37:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹  Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' " 

¹⁰  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

--God is only doing what He has always done sense the creation of man…once He had formed man from the dust He breathed into him and he became a living being.

--If He did this at creation He will surely do it when we are dry…when we are slain by life and by the enemy. God delights in giving us Holy Spirit.

--Think about the disciples (120) on the Day of Pentecost…His movement, His church seemed as though it might come to an end, but something happened.

--He poured out His Spirit on all flesh who were there waiting on Him…they really did not know what that would look like or be like but they waited.

Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)
¹  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
²  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
³  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
⁴  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 

--Not only did the church not die but it spread like wildfire…He added to the church and then, the church multiplied…now there are about 2 and a half billion people who claim Christ.

--Does it seem your world is about the fall apart and nothing is coming together…invite Holy Spirit to hover over the chaos (like at creation) and He will bring order and life. Gen.1:2

5. When God sends His Holy Spirit He will enable us to stand. 

Ezekiel 37:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. 

--Are you having trouble standing for God…be filled with Holy Spirit power…look at the weak disciples. Someone said, “If you will not stand for God, you will fall for anything!”

--One of my constant prayers for family and friends who are lost or wandering aimlessly is that they will find their calling and destiny. Holy Spirit helps with this.

--The disciples, the 120, Israel all had trouble figuring out what to do and how to stand, that is, until Holy Spirit came and breathed into them the breath of God…breathed into them destiny and purpose.

--Instead of being held captive by the enemy you become a freedom fighter for others. One of the greatest blessings about the baptism in the Holy Spirit is becoming others centered.

6. When God sends His Holy Spirit He will bring us up out of our graves (our past).

Ezekiel 37:11-13 (NKJV)
¹¹  Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' 

¹²  Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
¹³  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

--Think about what Christianity would be if Jesus had stayed in His grave. What if we stay in the grave of our past…we become of non-effect? Can’t touch anyone.

--I am constantly amazed how many Christians can’t get past things in their past…what people did, what people said…they choose to stay buried in the pain of the past.

--I love Jesus’ prayer about those who hurt Him…Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing…You can’t save people you can’t forgive!

--When God breathes into you the breath of life, your future takes precedence over your past. 

--Remember like the children of Israel in bondage in Egypt…He was taking them out to bring them in.

7. When God sends His Holy Spirit He will put His Spirit in us, give us life, and give us a home.

Ezekiel 37:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' " 

--Do you need a sense of family, of belonging to something or someone supernatural, receive Holy Spirit.

--Holy Spirit is going to bring the prodigals home with a purpose and a destiny!

--Holy Spirit will turn a church into a home for the lost and for the hurting!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
¹⁹  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
²⁰  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.